Thinking Of Superhero Games

Reviewing Heroes & Heroines, along with an upcoming superpowered game that I have, caused me to think about games designed to cover people with extraordinary powers. As it happens, at the moment I am not very fond of a lot of them. Champions suffers from a very clumsy game system, made worse by having to learn the system and spend a lot of time to create characters. This last is also a problem with GURPS Supers, but at least that system has developed into a very clever one that manages to deliver more "realism" for less effort than any other game I can think of. It's currently the one that I am planning on running my upcoming game in, but this post is part of a process there.

So, here are the games that are interesting me at the moment, along with links to where to get them.

Villains & Vigilantes — this is currently available in a new edition titled Mighty Protectors, but I haven't had a chance to evaluate that edition yet. I am mostly interested in the 2.1 edition linked here. For one thing, there are no point-buy systems in version 2.1, and I understand that Mighty Protectors has fallen prey to that seductive mechanic. One of the great things about V&V was always that it was just a matter of generating basic stats, rolling up—or choosing—some powers, and filling out the front-loaded calculations. That's part of the reason that I had the FBI Guide series.

Guardians — This is a little attempt to portray what the Original Adventure Game might have looked like if the authors were more interested in comic book superheroics than pulp fantasy. Like V&V, creating a character is more about picking a set of powers than spending points. That's really good from my perspective.

Supergame — The point-buy mechanic for creating characters is less intrusive here mainly because the game is very fast and loose. Still, it's less interesting to me than others in this list, mainly because of the weird, calculator-intensive rules (seriously, you roll d% and multiply that as a fraction of the base damage to find out how much damage you actually do, but only in hand-to-hand combat). Also, like most point-buy games, the players have to learn how play works in some detail before they can really create reasonable characters. There is a supposed third edition of the game now, but it is apparently a complete rewrite by new authors that only keeps the title.

Heroes Unlimited — I feel weird putting this in my list, since I really got most of my experience of it in the first edition, which we mockingly called "Heroes Limited" due to its inability to really handle the genre well. I understand that the second edition has fixed that issue, so I am bringing it back into consideration for my table. A major advantage of the game is that players can pretty much choose to use any of several character creation systems, from relatively freeform to relatively point-buy.

Marvel Super Heroes — The main disadvantage here is that the game is out of print and pretty expensive on the aftermarket. On the other hand, the PDFs at the Classic Marvel Forever website are more or less designed to be printed out, so that's an option. Still among the best possible superpowered games out there. Just don't roll on the tables in the Ultimate Powers Book, since they're really badly done. The selection is great, though. Pick your powers, I guess, and work out the power levels with the Referee.

Heroes & Heroines — This is a really unlikely choice for me, since it suffers from multiple problems such as being out of print, using a point-buy system, and so on. Still, it's not totally off the table for me because the sketched-out system is a perfect place to land a "rulings not rules" game. Still, Guardians is probably a better choice there.

GURPS Supers — Look, this is the only game that can actually handle Wolverine's adamantium-laced skeleton, and frankly I've had some of my superpowered NPCs inspired by the list of advantages and powers in the game. It's also the only game in print that can, more or less, do Dune just off the shelf, including weird things like having access to ancestral memories. The Supers supplement includes, among other things, the best discussion of Precognition as a superpower in a game that I have seen. If nothing changes, this is the game that I will be running. If only it had options to not be point-buy. Also, Wildcard Skills annoy me and the templates here rely on them to a degree, to the point that it's difficult to root them out of some of the templates—guess why I'm considering other games.

Mutants & Masterminds — I am not really fond of D20 games, except that they've allowed retroclones and such to happen, but this one seems alright. Mainly, I'm interested in the Paragons setting, which is pretty close to what I intend for my setting, and the Mecha & Manga supplement covers magical girls, which I do love. It runs a line between point-buy and not by allowing the player to effectively create a new class for their superpowered character or choose a pre-designed, relatively generic one, and then using that in a D20-like framework. Still, Guardians, and for that matter V&V, seems to cover most everything here and better.

Savage Worlds — On the one hand, the dice mechanic revolts my statistics-oriented mind, but on the other hand all of my players are both familiar with and fans of the game. Less intrusive point-buy system, but still a point-buy system. I'll leave it on the table as an option, maybe. I'll have to look at the superpowers system first. I have a suspicion that it isn't robust enough to cover some of my more outré characters.

Man, it sucks that Golden Heroes and Super Squadron are both out of print and in-demand enough to be really difficult to get. Not that I'd necessarily pick one of those, but they would provide a couple more options that wouldn't be terrible.

So, what other superpowered games that don't rely on a point-buy system—or which have a really compelling reason to consider them that outweighs the point-buy system—am I missing?

Some More Campaigns

In the last post, I mentioned six campaigns that I offered to my players that I wanted to run, and let them choose from among them. I mentioned elsewhere that I have a lot more where that came from, and I had whittled my various games down to just that half-dozen. Here are some more where those came from:

First, I have always wanted to run a game using Ken Hite's "Seas of Dread, Sails of Daring" setting that he outlined in the old GURPS 3E supplement, GURPS Horror, Third Edition, then revised (as just "Seas of Dread") for GURPS 4E in GURPS Horror, Fourth Edition. It might even supersede wanting to run Flashing Blades as a pirate game right now. Also, I'd kind of like to run Stonehell Dungeon in my Middle Sea setting using Delving Deeper, Swords & Wizardry Core, the D&D Rules Cyclopedia, or AD&D 1E with some of my own customized character classes. In addition, I wouldn't mind running a sandbox of Hârnmaster starting in Kanday in Hârn. Aside from these four examples of other people's campaigns/settings, though, I have some others.

• AD&D 1E: Flanaess Sector - I still have considerable work that I'd need to do, but in addition to the idea of using White Star, as mentioned previously, I wouldn't mind converting AD&D for the purpose.
• XXXXX: Metahumans Insurgent - This could be run using almost any superhero game. My preferences would be, in order, GURPS 4E, CORPS, Guardians, or Villains & Vigilantes. The idea is that the world woke up one day a month or two ago and a portion of the population had metahuman powers. The players would be in the upper tier, the portion that counts one in a million as members (500 points in GURPS, 200AP/200SP in CORPS, and standard starting characters in the other games). There would be a lower tier, one in a hundred thousand, that have lesser abilities, and the rest of the population have no metahuman abilities. The campaign would start with the world coming to realize that metahumans exist, and then trace the resulting collapse of society into chiefdoms ruled by metahumans and groups of metahumans. Or maybe some other outcome, depending on how things went. It would be inspired by the TV series Heroes, the movies Push, Chronicle, Jumper, Limitless, Lucy, and the like, and the comic book series ESPers. That is, no costumes, no silly names.
• RuneQuest 3 or 6: Time of the Gods - This is a relatively undeveloped setting in my head, of a world in the late bronze or early iron age where city-states legitimize their rule by invoking gods into physical form as their rulers, or are held in control by powerful sorcerers. This would draw on an article by Jenell Jaquays published in Dragon magazine under a different name, titled "When Gods Walk the Earth", in issue 144. I could probably also do this setting in GURPS with a very small amount of work, or maybe using Hârnmaster with a bit more work.
• Fantasy Wargaming: The Crusaders - Mainly, this would be a way to both show off and develop the FW game system. The game would be centered on a group of characters who have gone to join in the Third Crusade behind Richard the Lionheart. It would need at least six players, though, and a couple of the characters would be pre-gens.
• Realms of the Unknown: Tribes of the Volyet - This would use the maps of my Middle Sea setting, though not the "things I know" about that setting. In this campaign, the Long Sea (not the Middle Sea, which is to the east of that map) is renamed as the Volyet, with the players controlling clans on the eastern shore of the Volyet Sea. I have some events in mind, obviously, but the first part of the campaign would be the players getting used to the system and dealing with each other and some of the NPC clans in the region.
• CORPS: Deindustrial Future Dark - This would be the more realistic version of my Deindustrial Future setting. In this one, magic and such is scaled way the heck back, to the point that they are hardly discernible in the setting. No super gunslingers, no spirits, no alchemical potions. At least, not in the same sense as the GURPS version I am running now. I could also run this with GURPS, but I like to find reasons to use CORPS.
• Top Secret: Cyberpunk Shadows - Near-future using the Top Secret rules. There are some basic spaceflight rules in Dragon magazine, along with an article on lasers in Top Secret, and it's not really all that difficult to come up with stats and rules for other futuristic technologies. I haven't really thought through what I'd actually do with it yet, but it's an idea that keeps pushing itself on me.
• Chivalry & Sorcery 2E: Denizens of the Pale - Another one that mostly exists to showcase a rules set, and also the historical setting, this campaign would have the players as Anglo-Norman settlers in the Pale in Ireland in the early 13th century. They would have to live with the surrounding Irish people, as conquerors or neighbors.

There you go, an even dozen other campaigns that I have desires for in my head, bringing the total I've written down here to eighteen. This is what happens when you don't game for too long. Or when I don't, anyway. Maybe some of them will inspire you to come up with something, or maybe I can figure out ways to run one or more of them. Realms of the Unknown, for example, is particularly suited to Play By (E-)Mail formats.

And, you know, I have still more campaigns in my head. If there's interest, maybe I'll write down some more.

[V&V]FBI Guide to Metahumans: Reaper

I don't have a game going, still, so I have little that I can write about from that perspective. On the other hand, I do still have the FBI Guide setting that I can continue to describe. So, here we go, with one of the more sinister metahumans.

Reaper


Identity: ?
Side: ?
Sex: M
Experience: 277,657
Level: 20
Age: 38
Training: ?

Powers:

1. Death Touch. See description in rule book.

2. Invulnerability: Ignore 15 points of damage per turn.

3. Emotion Control (Fear): 18" radius (except to the rear), PR=8 per attempt.

4. Cosmic Awareness: May know the answers to yes/no questions by attuning to the Universe. See description in rule book.

5. Revivification: PR=25 per attempt, taking 1d10 turns. Success: 100%, -10% per day dead (or -2% per day dead if the body is carefully preserved). A newly revived character has Power equal to 2xE and 1 day of healing in Hit Points.

Weight: 240 lbs.
Basic Hits: 5
Agility Mod: 0

Strength: 21
Endurance: 10
Agility: 13
Intelligence: 18
Charisma: 15

Reactions from:
Allies: +2
Enemies: -2

Hit Mod: 3.042
Hit Points: 16
Damage Mod: +2
Heal Rate: 1.25
Accuracy: +1
Power: 62
Carrying Cap: 1231 lbs.
Basic HTH: 1d10
Movement Rates: 44"
Det. Hidden: 14%
Det. Danger: 18%
Inventing Points: 26.8 (after several inventing attempts and I increases)
Inventing: 54%

Origin & Background: No one really knows where the Reaper came from. Perhaps he is a force of nature. At various times, he has been known to act rather differently, ranging from a cold, sociopathic murderer to a kindly protector of the weak, and just about everything in between. Maybe there is more than one, but that would be a terrifying possibility.

How To Make A Superhero

When I am writing up the FBI Guide entries, I have a process that makes the whole thing go by more quickly. As I noted in the comments to the entry on Rainbow, my process is basically to roll up the stats, pick a set of powers that fits the character role in my head, roll the values of the powers, and figure out the rest per the V&V rules. It's amazing how quickly that goes, actually. The thing is, though, that there is more to the process than the simple mechanics of making a character. Each one has to fit into the world that exists (primarily) in my head.

The first thing I do, actually, is make a list of names, basic power outlines, and so on. I try to alternate male and female characters (and if I can't for whatever reason, I work hard to make it up in subsequent entries). Sometimes, the name will inspire the powers, sometimes it is the power group that occasions the name. A few of the characters are inspired by specific photos, by characters from comics or movies, from other games, or even a few taken from V&V materials directly (I probably won't be posting those here, though, since I doubt that it's legit to simply take the already published stats and republish them here; the names are in the first FBI Guide entry, though). Occasionally, I delete one or more if I come to think that they won't fit the tone of the world. For instance, I recently removed one Davy Jones from the list because I didn't want to deal with the implications of more than one death-bringer (spoiler!) If I haven't based the character on a picture, then this is the point where I hunt around to find one. Google's image search is the most important tool here.

Have you noticed what's missing yet? The detailed background of the character is, to my way of thinking, one of the least important elements in a superhero setting. The characters are, more than in most settings, symbols. As a result, there may be some broad aspects of their backgrounds that are important (but not necessarily!), but the details can be filled in almost at whim. So, the last step is to write up some kind of history for the character. This may also include figuring out the mundane name of the character, since that is usually not nearly as important as the code name given by the FBI Guide writers.

So, what I'm saying is that superpowered characters are more like metaphors, and this is reflected in the way that I create them and integrate them into the setting.

FBI Guide to Metahumans: Rainbow

Rainbow

Identity: Lisa Devine
Side: Civilian
Sex: F
Experience: 9548
Level: 4
Age: 22
Training: Agility

Powers:

1. Heightened Speed +660", +22 Initiative

2. Light Control: Range 20", Dmg 2d8, PR = 1 per attack; Blinding flash with a radius of 20", PR = 1; PR = 1 to set up a Light defense; May create mundane light for no power cost.

3. Illusions (holograms): PR = 1, visual illusions only.

Weight: 110 lbs.
Basic Hits: 3
Agility Mod: +2

Strength: 13
Endurance: 15
Agility: 10
Intelligence: 11
Charisma: 12

Reactions from:
Allies: +1
Enemies: -1

Hit Mod: 2.16
Hit Points: 7
Damage Mod: -
Heal Rate: 1.2
Accuracy: -
Power: 49
Carrying Cap: 203 lbs.
Basic HTH: 1d4
Movement Rates: 698" ground
Det. Hidden: 8%
Det. Danger: 12%
Inventing Points: 4.1
Inventing: 33%

Origin & Background: Lisa, ever since she was small, loved to make paintings. She would always be first to the art supplies in school and eventually she would hang around the local art supply store like some kids would hang around the mall. There was only the one in her poverty-stricken area. One day, a shoplifter ran out the door of the store and Lisa, without even thinking about it, ran after him. As she ran, the world seemed to stand still. Everyone else just saw a rainbow flash by and bowl over the shoplifter. Afterward, Lisa decided to use her talent to help clean up her crime-ridden neighborhood. She quickly discovered that she could use color and light to her advantage as well. Now, things are getting better, even if they aren't perfect yet. She has been known to occasionally team up with the Ice Queen, and the two are fast friends.

[V&V]FBI Guide to Metahumans: Project GILGAMESH

In addition to Princess and the teacher, Tyger, there are four other children (all of the other four are teenagers, actually) who are part of Project GILGAMESH.

Umbra

Identity: David Smith
Side: US Government/Project GILGAMESH
Sex: M
Experience: 0
Level: 1
Age: 17
Training: Education (Military)

Powers:

1. Teleport: instantly travel a number of inches equal to 100 times his current Power. PR = 3.

2. Non-Corporealness: PR = 4 per hour.

3. Animate Shadows: similar to Solid Energy Illusions, can animate up to current Power x 2 Creation Points. Damage is by a chilling touch. Range = 26".

4. Invisibility: PR = 1 per hour.

5. Special Requirement: Can only use powers when shadows are present (that is, not in bright light or total darkness). Teleport must begin and end in shadowy areas.

Weight: 160 lbs.
Basic Hits: 4
Agility Mod: -

Strength: 10
Endurance: 15
Agility: 13
Intelligence: 17
Charisma: 8

Reactions from:
Allies: -2
Enemies: +2

Hit Mod: 2.808
Hit Points: 12
Damage Mod: +2
Heal Rate: 1.6
Accuracy: +1
Power: 55
Carrying Cap: 200 lbs.
Basic HTH: 1d4
Movement Rates: 38" ground
Det. Hidden: 12%
Det. Danger: 16%
Inventing Points: 1.7
Inventing: 51%

Origin & Background: David never wanted to be noticed. Getting noticed only meant that his father was paying attention to him, and that never ended well. When his father came home drunk and started beating his mother, David's powers manifested as he faded into the shadows, then the shadows came to life around him and stopped his father. He wasn't in time to save his mother, who died of cerebral edema several days later. David was put into foster care, then found his way into Project GILGAMESH.


Nike

Identity: Linda Chen
Side: US Government/Project GILGAMESH
Sex: F
Experience: 0
Level: 1
Age: 15
Training: Education (Military)

Powers:

1. Wings: fly at 1764" (401 mph), PR = 1 per hour. (+3 Agility)

2. Heightened Strength +11, Heightened Agility +13

Weight: 120 lbs.
Basic Hits: 3
Agility Mod: +2

Strength: 22
Endurance: 13
Agility: 28
Intelligence: 14
Charisma: 14

Reactions from:
Allies: +1
Enemies: -1

Hit Mod: 7.7616
Hit Points: 24
Damage Mod: +3
Heal Rate: 0.9
Accuracy: +5
Power: 77
Carrying Cap: 717 lbs.
Basic HTH: 1d8
Movement Rates: 63" ground, 1764" flying
Det. Hidden: 10%
Det. Danger: 14%
Inventing Points: 1.4
Inventing: 42%

Origin & Background: No one really knows where Linda came from. She was found on the streets, seeming about 14 years old, complete with wings, but without any memories of where she came from. She was named by one of the technicians at Project GILGAMESH, and knows no other life. She has a very strong crush on David/Umbra, and will follow him anywhere. She carries a sword (+2 to hit, +1d6 damage) made of adamantium-like glass (structure 15), which she was carrying when found.


Diamond

Identity: Michael Glass
Side: US Government/Project GILGAMESH
Sex: M
Experience: 0
Level: 1
Age: 16
Training: Education (Military)

Powers:

1. Invisibility: PR = 1 per hour.

2. Force Field: range = 30". Can create a wall up to his current Power inches on a side, and other abilities as listed in the rules.

Weight: 210 lbs.
Basic Hits: 5
Agility Mod: -

Strength: 7
Endurance: 15
Agility: 13
Intelligence: 8
Charisma: 10

Reactions from:
Allies: -
Enemies: -

Hit Mod: 1.6848
Hit Points: 9
Damage Mod: -
Heal Rate: 2
Accuracy: +1
Power: 43
Carrying Cap: 194 lbs.
Basic HTH: 1d4
Movement Rates: 35" ground
Det. Hidden: 6%
Det. Danger: 11%
Inventing Points: 0.8
Inventing: 24%

Origin & Background: Very shy, Michael prefers not to be touched or seen. When his mutant powers manifested, they reflected his very withdrawn personality. His parents were at a loss for how to deal with him, so when some men from the government said that they could help him, they were relieved and let him go without a fuss. Michael doesn't blame them, as he knows that their life has been hard.


The Cat

Identity: Katherine Glockman
Side: US Government/Project GILGAMESH
Sex: F
Experience: 0
Level: 1
Age: 14
Training: Education (Military)

Powers:

1. Cat Powers (Heightened Agility +20; Speed Bonus +90" ground; Natural Weaponry +2 to hit, +4 damage in unarmed combat; Heightened Senses: Night Vision).

2. Regeneration: take an action to heal full healing rate up to once per turn. Can't regenerate damage from silver weapons.

3. Heightened Defense: all attacks against The Cat are at -4 to hit.

Weight: 140 lbs.
Basic Hits: 3
Agility Mod: -

Strength: 10
Endurance: 13
Agility: 33
Intelligence: 11
Charisma: 12

Reactions from:
Allies: +1
Enemies: -1

Hit Mod: 4.76
Hit Points: 15
Damage Mod: +4
Heal Rate: 0.9
Accuracy: +6
Power: 67
Carrying Cap: 161 lbs.
Basic HTH: 1d4
Movement Rates: 146" ground
Det. Hidden: 8%
Det. Danger: 12%
Inventing Points: 1.1
Inventing: 33%

Origin & Background: A fan of anime from a young age, and especially fond of cats and catgirls, Kat was delighted to discover that she had the grace and agility of a cat, and then found that she could extend claws from under her fingernails and her eyes had changed to look like a cat's! Obsessed with catgirls, she dresses in that style all the time. The officials of Project GILGAMESH have been very permissive of the unusual preferences of the kids on the theory that repressing them might cause the mutant powers to become less useful.

[V&V]FBI Guide to Metahumans: Tyger

(This is the first of these in which I include a "Mutant Power", that is to say a power that is not included in the basic V&V rules.)

Identity: Justin Archer
Side: US Government/Project GILGAMESH
Sex: M
Experience: 28433
Level: 7
Age: 29
Training: Intelligence

Powers:

1. Time Powers: a) Time Stop - PR = 8, take an action to activate, then take a full turn in which no other characters can act, though already active defenses will be in effect; b) Time Jump - vanish, then reappear in the same place a number of rounds later, PR = 1 per round jumped. He can only have one Time Power active at a time.

2. Teleportation: instantly travel a number of inches equal to his current Power score, PR = 1 per use.

3. Dimensional Travel: time travel, PR = 10 per journey.

Weight: 190 lbs.
Basic Hits: 4
Agility Mod: -

Strength: 12
Endurance: 13
Agility: 13
Intelligence: 14
Charisma: 15

Reactions from:
Allies: +2
Enemies: -2

Hit Mod: 2.4024
Hit Points: 10
Damage Mod: +1
Heal Rate: 1.2
Accuracy: +1
Power: 52
Carrying Cap: 288 lbs.
Basic HTH: 1d6
Movement Rates: 38" ground
Det. Hidden: 10%
Det. Danger: 14%
Inventing Points: 8.0 (1 was spent, I was increased)
Inventing: 42%

Origin & Background: When his mutant powers manifested, the orphan Justin used them to embark on a career of theft, stealing objects out from under the noses of their guardians. Finally captured by a Special Forces team equipped with advanced technology, he agreed to work with Project GILGAMESH as a trainer in exchange for immunity from prosecution for his prior crimes. When he has to fight, he likes to use a pair of Bowie knives (+1 to hit, +1d2 damage) to cut down his opponents between ticks of the clock. Never having had a family of his own, he is having some difficulty coming to terms with his new relationship with the kids of GILGAMESH.

[V&V]FBI Guide to Metahumans: Princess

One more, and I'll set this aside for a day or two. Maybe I'll do Tyger later on today.

Princess

Identity: Heidi Amundsen
Side: US Government/Project GILGAMESH
Sex: F
Experience: 0
Level: 1
Age: 6
Training: Education (Military)

Powers:

1. Invulnerability: Ignore 25 points of damage per turn.

2. Heightened Strength +50

Weight: 50 lbs.
Basic Hits: 1
Agility Mod: +4

Strength: 62
Endurance: 11
Agility: 16
Intelligence: 10
Charisma: 12

Reactions from:
Allies: +1
Enemies: -1

Hit Mod: 7.04
Hit Points: 8
Damage Mod: +1
Heal Rate: 0.25
Accuracy: +2
Power: 99
Carrying Cap: 5986 lbs.
Basic HTH: 2d8
Movement Rates: 89" ground
Det. Hidden: 8%
Det. Danger: 12%
Inventing Points: 1
Inventing: 30%

Origin & Background: When her parents could not handle her very high strength, Heidi was sent to a government facility that said it would be able to take care of her. She feels very alone there, while she is being trained as an agent of the US government, but she is starting to form an attachment to Tyger (who will be presented later). What will happen to these children of Project GILGAMESH is a story that will have to wait for the telling. Her code name is one that she was very insistent on having.

[V&V]FBI Guide to Metahumans: Arclight and Gaussian

This time, a brother and sister pair who fight against metahuman supremacists, but are hunted by the police for their crimes.

Arclight

Identity: Michael Day
Side: Criminal
Sex: M
Experience: 1268
Level: 1
Age: 20
Training: Strength

Powers:

1. Light Powers: Range 34", Dmg 2d8, PR = 1 per attack; Blinding flash with a radius of 34", PR = 1; PR = 1 to set up a Light defense; May create mundane light for no power cost.

2. Lightning Control: Range 22", Dmg 2d8, PR = 4 per attack; Electrical defense costs an action to start, but no PR or movement to maintain; Control electronics by save vs. Intelligence on 1d20, save vs. Agility on 1d20 to avoid mishaps for each action taken, PR = 4 per attempt, Range 22"; Short out electrical devices, PR = 4 per attempt, Range = 22", 22% chance of success.

Weight: 160 lbs.
Basic Hits: 4
Agility Mod: -

Strength: 8
Endurance: 11
Agility: 17
Intelligence: 12
Charisma: 11

Reactions from:
Allies: -
Enemies: -

Hit Mod: 1.408
Hit Points: 6
Damage Mod: +1
Heal Rate: 1
Accuracy: +2
Power: 48
Carrying Cap: 129 lbs.
Basic HTH: 1d4
Movement Rates: 36" ground
Det. Hidden: 10%
Det. Danger: 14%
Inventing Points: 1.2
Inventing: 36%

Origin & Background: Michael played around with his powers from a very early age, but with his sister's help managed to keep them secret from even his parents. The arrogance of being able to do something that no one else could twisted his priorities, and he decided to make his living at the expense of everyone else. He hates metahuman supremacists, though, as he is afraid of no longer being the most special person, other than his sister, in his world.


Gaussian

Identity: Linda Day
Side: Criminal
Sex: F
Experience: 1832
Level: 1
Age: 22
Training: Intelligence

Powers:

1. Magnetic Powers: Magnetic control, PR = 5 per attempt, Capacity 850 lbs, Range = 17", Lasts 13 rounds.

2. Lightning Control: Range 26", Dmg 2d8, PR = 4 per attack; Electrical defense costs an action to start, but no PR or movement to maintain; Control electronics by save vs. Intelligence on 1d20, save vs. Agility on 1d20 to avoid mishaps for each action taken, PR = 4 per attempt, Range 26"; Short out electrical devices, PR = 4 per attempt, Range = 26", 26% chance of success.

Weight: 130 lbs.
Basic Hits: 3
Agility Mod: -

Strength: 17
Endurance: 13
Agility: 10
Intelligence: 9
Charisma: 11

Reactions from:
Allies: -
Enemies: -

Hit Mod: 1.96
Hit Points: 6
Damage Mod: -
Heal Rate: 0.9
Accuracy: -
Power: 49
Carrying Cap: 404 lbs.
Basic HTH: 1d6
Movement Rates: 40" ground
Det. Hidden: 8%
Det. Danger: 12%
Inventing Points: 0.9
Inventing: 27%

Origin & Background: When Linda's parents found her levitating the silverware, they punished her and made her hide her abilities. That became her reflex, and she learned what she could do very secretly. When she found out that her brother Michael could do similar things, she hatched a plan with him to live a life of crime and adventure. Like her brother, she hates metahuman supremacists, but in her case it is because she has a true sense of equality.

Linda likes to fly above the battlefield on a manhole cover or other metallic object, while tossing lightning bolts at her targets. During a robbery, she uses her powers to short out alarm systems and communications devices like phones, computers, and radios before even allowing her presence to be known.

[V&V]FBI Guide to Metahumans: Amoeba

Ameoba

Identity: Gordon Jenkins
Side: Mutant Supremacist
Sex: M
Experience: 49852
Level: 9
Age: 28
Training: Agility

Powers:

1. Transformation: normally has no powers, but can change into a form that includes all of the following (or back into human form) at the cost of an action.

2. One-Celled Organism Powers:
     a) Water Breathing: PR = 1 per hour to breathe water.
     b) Stretching Powers: Maximum 7' 6", square 3' 9" on a side, or block 1' 11" on a side. PR = 1 when used as a defense.
     c) Regeneration: Take an action to heal full healing rate (max. once per turn).
     d) Heightened Endurance +6.

3. Absorption: Gains 1 hit point per hit point scored on opponent (in hand to hand unarmed combat only); hit points gained vanish when taken as damage or when transformed back into human form.

4. Poison/Venom: Paralysis Venom causes unconsciousness without hit point loss. 15 uses per day.

5. Reduced Charisma -7.

Weight: 240 lbs.
Basic Hits: 5
Agility Mod: 0

Strength: 15
Endurance: 9 (15)
Agility: 11
Intelligence: 13
Charisma: 11 (4)

Reactions from:
Allies: - (-4)
Enemies: - (+4)

Hit Mod: 1.54 (2.772)
Hit Points: 8 (14)
Damage Mod: -
Heal Rate: 1.25 (2)
Accuracy: -
Power: 48 (54)
Carrying Cap: 513 lbs. (585 lbs.)
Basic HTH: 1d8
Movement Rates: 35" (41") ground
Det. Hidden: 10%
Det. Danger: 14%
Inventing Points: 11.7
Inventing: 39%

Origin & Background: Always made fun of for his weight, Gordon retreated into study of the tiny creatures under his microscope. One day, when the taunting of his high school peers escalated to physical violence, the stress caused his mutation to manifest itself by transforming him into a translucent, amoeba-like humanoid creature, and he proceeded to get his revenge on his tormentors. The community was shocked, and he was hunted by the police to stand trial for his crimes of assault. Full of hatred for those who bullied him because he was different, Gordon ran, swearing that the "freaks" would inherit the Earth. Now he does all he can to make that happen.

[V&V]New Series: FBI Guide To Metahumans: Ice Queen

I love Villains & Vigilantes, because it is the one superhero game that is easiest to create a character, and is inspirational just by looking at the list of powers. The others require either too much effort (Champions, GURPS Supers, Supergame, Superworld), end up forcing particular powers on the characters (Superworld, Champions), are too closely tied to a particular background (Marvel Super Heroes), or are not to my taste in other ways (DC Heroes, just about any superhero game from the last 10 years except Godlike). It is possible to make a character in V&V almost as quickly as a character in original D&D, which is no small feat.

Anyway, I have a superhero (or, more accurately, metahuman) world in my head, where I've been coming up with metahumans off and on for years. In the world I envision, there are a couple of characters taken from my favorites in V&V's default background and from GURPS IST, but the majority are my own creations. Obviously, some are inspired by heroes and villains from the comics, but with the serial numbers filed off (though a few remain recognizable). In that world, things are not so simple as the V&V alignments of Good, Evil, and Neutral, but then neither is V&V as presented in the supplements. Instead, there are a number of "alignments" that can be chosen, which amount to factions. Some factions are allied, some are opposed, and some are indifferent to each other, which determine the equivalent to the basic Good/Evil sides. The major factions include: US Government, The Public (which is a catch-all for everyday people, and can't be chosen by heroes, villains, or mutants), Mutants, Mutant Supremacists, the State Governments, other national Governments, and so on.

Mutants (that is, any metahuman character or character with psionic powers) are treated by the "One in a Million" rule. That is, metahumans with significant powers exist in the world with a frequency of about one per million population. There are about 313 in the US in 2012, for example. There are other heroes, who have powers from devices, or magical powers, or extreme training. The FBI Guide that will be given in this series, though, covers only the one in a million and perhaps other mutants.

Things are not so simple in the world, of course, as just humans and metahuman powers. There are mutants who do not have significant powers - these are the completely disenfranchised. They are mutants and undergo the same prejudice and treatment, but have no compensating abilities or talents. They might look bizarre, but some are fortunate to look human. They simply carry mutated genes. Their children might have abilities, or look inhuman, or perhaps they will just be another generation of carriers. There are also a couple of mutant races, where particular mutant powers bred true. There will probably be a few entries in the FBI Guide dealing with those.

To kick it off, here's an entry for you:

Ice Queen

Identity: Lily Snowfield
Side: Protectors
Sex: Female
Experience: 5722
Level: 3
Age: 22
Training: Agility

Powers:

1. Ice Powers: 6" range, 1d12 dmg, PR=5 per attack

2. Emotion Control (Love the Ice Queen): 12" range, PR=8 per successful hit

Weight: 125 lbs
Basic Hits: 3
Agility Mod: -

Strength: 15
Endurance: 11
Agility: 8
Intelligence: 12
Charisma: 14

Reactions from:
Allies: +1
Enemies: -1

Hit Mod: 1.078
Hit Points: 4
Damage Mod: 0
Heal Rate: 0.75
Accuracy: -2
Power: 46
Carrying Cap: 280 lbs.
Basic HTH: 1d6
Movement Rates: 34" ground
Det. Hidden: 10%
Det. Danger: 14%
Inventing Points: 3.6
Inventing: 36%

Origin & Background: In High School, Lily was thought of as the most attractive girl, and she developed a cold disposition to fend off her suitors. When her mutant powers manifested, they enhanced her icy disposition, even as they drew in everyone who saw her.


(As an aside, the following mutant characters from V&V's default background are part of this one: Skyhawk, Nomad, The Shrew, Evergreen, Dreamweaver, and Marionette. I may include others, such as Kali, who is not a metahuman.)